Jongno sashimi restaurant with mentaiko croquette: Suksseong Susan

A rare dinner for two at Suksseong Susan in Jongno

Hi, I'm an economics blogger who shares real estate, saving, and investing tips. Since I eat out with my kids so often, dinners alone with my wife are rarer than you'd think.

That day I headed to Jongno wanting a proper date, somewhere with a bit of atmosphere. I was in the mood for a place where we could enjoy sashimi and drinks together.

That's how I found Suksseong Susan. Their menu centers on aged sashimi, but I also liked that they had mulhoe and croquettes on offer.

What the room at this Jongno sashimi restaurant feels like

Walking into Suksseong Susan Jongno Main Branch, the whole place felt calm and settled. Jongno is full of office workers and can get crowded, but here the tables felt spaced apart enough that we could talk comfortably while eating.

Since this was a date with my wife, the atmosphere mattered as much as the food, and it was nice being able to talk without worrying about people around us.

It felt like a good fit for a couple visit, but also for drinks with friends or coworkers.

Aged sashimi with a bottle of tokkuri sake

The dish I was most looking forward to at Suksseong Susan was, of course, the aged sashimi. I usually like raw fish anyway, but aged sashimi has that extra fun of savoring each piece slowly. The texture and flavor pair especially well with a drink.

We ordered one tokkuri (sake flask). We meant to just sip lightly alongside the aged sashimi, but once the food arrived, the conversation naturally stretched on.

Eating a piece of sashimi, sipping a glass of tokkuri, and chatting away — it really felt like a proper date after a long while.

So I think this place would suit anyone looking for aged sashimi in Jongno or a sashimi bar near Jongak Station.

Cuttlefish mulhoe: chilled raw fish soup with noodles

Alongside the aged sashimi, we also ordered cuttlefish mulhoe (cold raw fish soup) at Suksseong Susan. Rather than sticking only to warmer dishes, adding a cold mulhoe midway changed the flow of the meal in a nice way.

The moment it arrived, there was so much cuttlefish I almost mistook it for noodles. I could practically slurp the cuttlefish up like noodles, which was fun.

Enjoying seafood and sashimi together in that cold, clean broth had a completely different charm from the aged sashimi. Especially when you've been eating sashimi for a while, having a new dish come in refreshes your palate.

My wife and I shared the mulhoe too and enjoyed a flavor quite different from the sashimi. It pairs well as a drinking snack but also works fine as a main dish, so I think it'd suit anyone wanting to try both aged sashimi and mulhoe together.

It came with thin wheat noodles too, which made it work well as a light meal on its own.

The mentaiko croquettes that stole the meal

And the dish that unexpectedly stuck with me from Suksseong Susan that day was the mentaiko croquette. We came for sashimi, but having a croquette in the mix kept the menu from feeling monotonous.

Between seafood-heavy dishes like the aged sashimi and mulhoe, the croquette added a crunchy texture. Alternating between a bite of sashimi, then croquette, then back to mulhoe turned out to be a surprisingly good combo.

I personally liked having that range of options. It felt better suited to slowly enjoying drinks with a variety of dishes ordered, rather than a meal centered only on sashimi.

Tables spaced apart for a quiet couple's dinner

One thing I care about a lot when choosing a restaurant is the seating. Especially on a date with my wife, I prefer a space where we can talk comfortably rather than somewhere too loud or with tables crammed too close together.

Suksseong Susan Jongno Main Branch felt like the tables were spaced apart enough to focus on the meal. It seemed like it would suit anyone looking for the relaxed feel of a private-room-style bar too.

It felt like a solid choice for gatherings with friends or work dinners, but also for a quiet meal and a drink just between two people, like we had.

Is Suksseong Susan worth it for sashimi and drinks in Jongno?

This visit was an evening of finally spending time alone with my wife, getting to enjoy aged sashimi, mulhoe, and croquettes all together. With a bottle of tokkuri alongside it, it felt less like a meal and more like a proper date course.

If you're looking for a sashimi restaurant in Jongno or checking out a Jongno sashimi restaurant more generally, it's worth considering the atmosphere and menu variety along with the taste of the sashimi itself.

It especially suits anyone looking for aged sashimi in Jongno, wanting to enjoy sashimi and drinks near Jongak Station, or hoping to try aged sashimi and mulhoe together.

We spent the evening slowly, sharing one bottle of tokkuri rather than drinking a lot, and it was a memorable night thanks to getting to talk with my wife alone and take our time.